1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an antibacterial and antifungal composition, a method for the production of the composition, and an antibacterial and antifungal resin or a caulking material using the same.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As synthetic resin products have been used more frequently in recent years, contamination of the surface of synthetic resins with bacteria has become a problem when it is utilized in the field which require the care about hygiene, such as kitchen utensils. Bacteria and fungi grow on the surface of caulking materials utilized for interior materials, which cause problems in hygiene or in appearance and so on. In order to cope with these problems, an antibacterial and antifungal composition has been mixed with a synthetic resin for the purpose of exuding the composition from the resin to provide an antibacterial and antifungal properties on the surface of the resin.
To obtain a bactericidal and fungicidal effect on the surface of the resin and its surrounding by facilitating the elusion of the antibacterial and antifungal composition from the Synthetic resin, an organic antibacterial and antifungal material such as thiabendazole or the like is used. However, because of its volatility, the surrounding environment of the synthetic resin will be polluted when an organic antibacterial and antifungal material is contained in the resin. Further, waste fluid which had been contacted with the surface of the synthetic resin contains the antibacterial and antifungal material, which becomes a cause of sewage pollution and in turn influences activated sludge during effluent treatment.
Among plant extracts terpene compounds ate known to have an antibacterial effect. As techniques utilizing the terpene compounds, a therapeutic agent for Trychophyton (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 63-30424), a refrigerator equipped with an antifungal deodorant unit comprising phytontid obtained from a plant( Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 61-228283) and an air cleaner (Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 61-368934) have been disclosed. However, since many of the substances present in the plants described above are aromatic and volatile, these substances volatilize when mixed with heated and melted resin for molding.